Kiss Yesterday Goodbye
by jadedlex12
Summary: A feisty, playful woman gets thrown into a group of survivors just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. After just experiencing her fiance's death, will she be able to hold it together? While death and destruction looms over them, can this group pull through this together and survive the zombie apocalypse? Rated M for foul mouth and sexy scenes (eventually). Daryl/OC
1. Prologue

The music pumped all throughout me as the strobe lights stroked my skin. The five shots I had earlier only added to the incredible sensation of being at the nightclub in Macon, Georgia. Jace had just asked me to marry him tonight so we went out celebrating. He asked me on the beach when we were going for a walk. I had been so elated, five years was a long time for no serious commitment. This was the day I had been waiting for.

My hips were swaying in sync with my long enflamed hair. The lyrics echoed through my ears as Jace wrapped me in his arms. This was the song I had requested for tonight because Jace and I met at this very club to this very song, plus the beat is so much fun to dance to.

We bout to have a party (turn the music up)

Let's get it started (go head shake your butt)

I'm looking for a girl with a body and a sexy strut

Wanna get it poppin baby step right up

His hand moved my hair to one side and started kissing my neck delicately. I leaned back and moaned. I wrapped my arms behind me and around him. Our hips moved in sync and I closed my eyes after a while. My eyes snapped open at the noise that was overshadowing the sexy music. Everything that happened next was a blur. Screams erupted from everywhere. Jace immediately hovered over me protectively. People start shoving from all sides. Jace and I get torn apart and I am being shoved outside with the majority of the club-goers. Tears are streaming down my face and I collapse on the ground outside the club screaming. My hands are reaching out for Jace because I know in my heart he is still inside with the unseen horror that started this all.

Jace is coming outside and my heart stops. He is bleeding from the neck and his eyes grew three times their size. I immediately rush to him and barely catch him as he is falling to the ground dying. Blood is flowing everywhere from him and there is so much that I can't even tell where it starts and where it ends. He keeps trying to speak and all that's coming out of his mouth are spurts of blood. His green eyes roll to the back of his head and his chest is no longer rising and falling. I don't care about the blood because all I'm doing is running my blood soaked fingers through my hair on my scalp and running them up and down his face.

"Jace! Jace! Stay awake! Come on baby don't leave me like this!" I start slapping his face lightly. Tears are still running down my face and I don't care. "Don't die on me. I love you." My voice breaks and I collapse on his chest and start sobbing.

My happily ever after died this night outside the club. My prince charming lay there in his own pool of blood gasping for his last few breaths of air and reaching for me as if I was distant.

A man that is pulling me up off the ground is screaming at me and telling me to leave. I try so hard to get my feet to move but it's impossible. My body isn't willing to leave and the strange man knows it. He scoops me off of Jace and I start screaming and fighting. He is a big man so my protests don't stop him one bit. He puts me in a car with other people. He's asking me where my home is and I keep telling him my home was back there lying on the ground outside the club. At this point I am numb and no longer responding to what people are saying. I can't move; I just pull myself into a ball. He starts searching my pockets in my dress for something and pulls out my license. Did I mention it was also my 27th birthday?

He starts driving in the direction of my newly bought house and once we reach it he stops the car and opens his door. This man pulls me out of my seat and guides me to my home. Automatically, I reach into my pocket for my keys and open my door. I don't look back and just lock the door on him. I can hear him on the other side of the door screaming at me to go somewhere safe and be quiet. I don't understand why he's also telling me to keep the lights off. After several minutes of my silence he gives up and the car speeds off.

I slump against the door and ball my fists. I had no idea what happened back at the club but I know I am angry. I am so pissed off at everyone to just leave him there and not helping him. I am so pissed off at that guy that took me away from Jace. But most importantly I am so pissed off that I have no idea who did that to Jace. What happened to his neck? What am I supposed to tell everyone? I can't face anyone right now. In my numb state I turn off all the lights and travel to my bed. I plop down on it and curl up around myself and let my silent tears shout everything miserable from my mind. The dampness on my pillow grows and caresses my face letting me know I will be okay. The darkness swallows me and my eyelids win the battle against me.

….

I wake up disoriented and groggy. My eyes can barely open and yet I still notice the skin-tight cherry red dress I put on last night as well as my black spiked heels. I rip off my shoes and dress and stumble around the house. I peek out from my blinds and notice that cars are speeding by my road. I accidentally left the television on before I left and barely tune into what the news anchor is saying._ The dead are coming back to life and attacking people. Atlanta, Georgia is a safe place. Dangerous place out there. Too much firepower is a good thing. _My brain slowly starts putting the pieces together. It's a slow process but eventually I get there. Something about the dead had to do with Jace. Whether people thought he was already dead and tried to hurt him or he himself was attacked. Either option wasn't good. With nothing here to keep me rooted I decided to head towards Atlanta. I didn't want to leave Jace's body behind but my gut was telling me it was best to leave him there. I slip on some jeans, tank top, leather jacket, and some tennis shoes. I make the mistake of glancing in the bathroom mirror. My black eye shadow that looked fierce last night just makes me look beat up and worn this morning. My rich auburn hair that was sleek and pin straight last night was now all disheveled and thrown everywhere. I manage to make my eye shadow look somewhat attractive and I run my fingers through my hair and try to tame the mess. I scrub at the blood that is on my face and I get some of it off but it's like it's stained on my skin. I don't even bother with the blood on my hands and arms. Jace's blood is figuratively and literally on me. I turn away from that mirror and never look back. I pull the giant bag out from under my bed and put all my hunting gear by the front door. I pack a giant bag of necessities like clothes, food, soap, flashlight, and other essential things I would take with me when I went camping including a tent. Fresh tears began to sprout when I remembered Jace's camping trips and mine. This is going to be hard.

For my eighteenth birthday I had asked for fencing lessons from my parents and I actually got them. I really enjoyed fencing until it interfered with my college classes, so I had to quit. History was my favorite subject in high school and I always loved learning about knights and kingdoms and all that. So since I was devastated about having to quit fencing, my parents cheered me up by buying me an old sword for my nineteenth birthday. I had never once took it out of it's casing until now. If my parents were still here I probably would have died trying to make it to their house just to thank them.

I throw the sword strap over my shoulder and took my belongings out to my car. I'm on autopilot as of right now. I'm just a robot. No emotions are running through me right now because I certainly can't afford them. Pulling out of the driveway I see the remainder of my life here in the rearview mirror getting smaller and smaller.

I reach the highway to go to Atlanta and it is all backed up. Everyone is trying to reach Atlanta and all the cars are parked because there is zero chance of getting in there. I open my door and close it again. Leaning forward against my car I start lightly banging my forehead against the car. Where else am I supposed to go? It's only then I look to my left and see an older bald man smirking at me. I give him a "what the hell?" look and turn my head back to the car and put my head in the crook of my arms. I'm muttering swear words into my arm. But apparently I hadn't been strong enough in my refusal look because the bald man is now walking over to me and leans against the car as well.

"My name's Merle sweet cheeks. If we're stuck here much longer I might bring out my scotch and whiskey and have a drink. Wanna join me?" He was smirking and leaning into me. I pull my head out of my arms and glare at him. What an idiot. What an arrogant asshole.

"Are you kidding right now? Seriously? What the fuck is wrong with you?" My dad used to call it the evil glare and I guess right now it earned it's name because the bald man reflects anger back in his eyes and mutters something about a stupid bitch as he walks off. Maybe I was a little too hard on him but it has been just less than a day since my fiancé died in my arms and I am in absolutely no mood to be hit on. There was another man in the truck and he just ducked his head and looked the other way.

I start walking up through the traffic and I hear a couple of people talking. A handsome man and pretty woman were talking in hushed voices in front of a blue car. I notice a little boy in the car and I wave and smile at him. He meekly smiles and tentatively waves back at me. I notice an older man with two young blonde girls and I approach them hesitantly.

"Do you know what's going on?" I ask quietly.

"Unfortunately, no. We've been stuck here for too long and we've been debating whether or not to take the next exit and leave Atlanta behind." The older man states sadly.

"I think I might do that too. Atlanta seems to be a bust. I have nowhere else to go though." I cast my eyes down to my feet.

"You want to come with us? Us and the cop and his woman and son are going to come with us if we can get moving. I actually think there are at least ten more people joining us as well." The older blonde woman interjects and looks at me hopefully.

"I would love that. Thank you. I'm just a car behind the cop so it'll be easy to follow." I looked at her right in the eyes. "My name is Kori Beaumont." I hold out a hand to them.

"My name is Andrea and this is Dale and Amy." The older blonde states and she shook my hand as well as Dale and Amy. Amy looks quite shy and not knowing what to say. "Can I ask why there's blood all over you?" Andrea looks at me earnestly and I look down at my feet again as the blood in my face heats my cheeks.

"Someone I know was attacked last night and I tried to wash the blood off but it wouldn't budge. I'm sorry, I don't want to scare anybody." My fingernails lightly scrape my face at the blood that's somewhat permanent on my face. My hand is shaking as I was remembering what Jace felt like under my hands. I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"It's been a struggle for all of us. We'll get through this together. The blood on your face isn't that bad. You're not the only one with blood on them." Andrea cast her glance at the cars all around us. I follow her gaze and sure enough some of the other people had blood on them as well. Some of the cars even had blood on them. All of a sudden something starts lighting up the night sky in Atlanta. We creep closer and see helicopters bombing the entire city. Tears instantly start falling down my face and so I cover it with my bloody hands. I feel someone put another hand on my shoulder and look up to see Dale. He gave me a sad smile while I look to Andrea holding Amy, who is sobbing.

"The cars are moving!" Dale shouts at the rest of the group. Dale takes his hand off my shoulder and the three make their way back to Dale's RV. I weave throughout the cars and end up back at mine. We all get back into our cars and slowly but surely the cars creep forward. After a half an hour I make it off the highway and see the blue car from earlier. I push the pedal and speed up to him. After ten miles or so Dale pulls off the main road and starts driving down a dirt road. The rest of us follow him and there is a perfectly secluded camping area hidden from the rest of the world. I stretch my legs as I get out of the car and raise my arms to the sky.

"You religious or somethin?" The cop is getting out of his car and stares at me questioningly.

"Hell no. Just glad to be out of that mess back there and out of my car." I smile weakly at him.

"Nice ride by the way." He states as he is pulling his bags out of the car. I glimpse back at my black 2012 Chevy Camaro. I shrug my shoulders and copy his actions. I take my bags out of my car and set them on the ground by the camper. I walk back to the car and shut the door when I hear another car coming down the road. The truck stops on the road behind my car and two men step out of it. My mouth is faster than my brain.

"Shit."


	2. Chapter 1

"Hey look little brother, it's that snotty bitch who turned me down on the highway." Merle just elbowed his brother in the side. His brother was far more attractive than him by a long shot. He was wearing a jean vest with a grey shirt underneath, chords, and boots. He totally had the bad boy look going on. Actually both of them looked like a bad boy but Merle looked ex military as well as a drug addict. The younger one looked the part of the bad boy but chances were he never did any hard drugs or spent time in jail for any serious crimes. Merle's little brother turned around and I could see angel wings on the back of his jean vest, which I thought was interesting.

I turned my back on both of them and carried my bags over by Dale's RV. Dropping them on the ground I could see the two men following me. This night could not get any worse. Next thing I know Merle drapes his arm over my shoulders and whispers in my ear.

"Ya know I neva give second chances to prude bitches but for you I'll make an exception. You're just too damn fine to give up on that easily. So whaddya say to that drink?" His breath in my ear sent shivers down my spine and for all the wrong reasons. I gently placed his hand off my shoulder and gave him the sweetest smile I could conjure.

"Why Merle, how awful kind of you! But for whatever reason you are not accepting the fact that I am not interested in you in any way shape or form. You should pull your head out of your ass so you can hear me more clearly. Leave me alone." I walked away from him and headed back towards my car to get the rest of my belongings and I successfully, nonchalantly swung my hair over my shoulder. I could only imagine the look on his face and for all that it was worth I was not going to look back.

I tried to hang around my car longer than necessary so Merle could walk far from me. I may talk big game but inside I'm somewhat of wimp. Whatever, he doesn't need to know that. For all he knows, I turn guys down left and right with ease. Once Merle was somewhat gone I headed back to Dale to get some answers.

"What's the plan?" I needed to know. What the hell was I going to do with Merle if he was staying with us?

"Well, I think we'll camp here for the night and see if there are any more stragglers wanting to join and we'll make serious decisions in the morning. Do you have any place to stay the night?" He looked at me concerned.

"Actually yes. I brought a tent with me. It's actually pretty big. It could fit at least five people so if there is anyone who needs somewhere to sleep they can share my tent."

"What a godsend. Not many people would do that you know. When we talk as a group, I'll bring it up. We're starting a fire so if you want to just wait around there?"

"Sounds good." I gave him a small smile and decided to sit next to the woman I saw earlier that night with her cop husband.

"Mind if I sit here?" She did not look happy but she needed company I decided.

"Sure go ahead." She tapped her hand on the spot next to her.

"I'm Kori. Kori Beaumont. I'm from Macon, Georgia and I was at a club when this shit hit the fan." This got a smile from the woman.

"My name's Lori. I have a son named Carl who just turned 12. I was at home when shit the fan. Not as exciting as yours though."

"That's alright. Kori and Lori, how ironic. What about your husband? What's his name?" As soon as those questions slipped my mouth she looked at me as if I had shot her.

"What?" Her eyes were the size of saucers.

"You know, the cop? What's his name?" I tilted my head to the cop and her shoulders slumped. She mumbled that Shane was his name and that wasn't her husband, it was her husband's partner. Apparently her husband had been shot and was in the hospital when this all broke out. He was dead before anything happened though.

I put my hand on hers and looked her in the eyes.

"When I was at the nightclub, I was celebrating my new engagement. My boyfriend of five years had finally popped the question that night and we wanted to go out and celebrate, just the two of us. Something happened inside the club and we were separated. I was pushed outside while he was pushed further inside somehow. When he came out he was bleeding and he died in my arms last night. I know how you feel. I'm still really sorry about your husband though." Tears weren't threatening to spill over. They hadn't even formed at all. It was as if I had become an automated answering machine and saying those words was as normal as can be. The full tragedy of today's events definitely hadn't hit full force yet.

"I'm sorry about your fiancé." It was all she said but I knew she meant the words. We continued holding hands even though we were no longer talking. I turned my head to the small fire and stared at the flames. The heat licked my face and sent shivers down my spine. This was the first pleasant feeling I had since the nightclub. My eyes started to burn but I refused to look away. I was challenging the heat to make me feel more and make me forget the past twenty-four hours. Of course that would never happen. Just like Jace was never coming back to me. Just like I will never see my parents again.

People started gathering around the fire and a couple more cars pulled in to our area. A young man named Glenn sat down next to me, and Amy sat on the other side of him. Soon enough a giant circle was made and everyone was introducing themselves. Merle's younger brother's name was Daryl. Daryl Dixon. I actually caught him looking at me a few times and I turned my head before my face gave anything away to him.

Everyone was talking over each other telling stories and asking questions. What I got from a lot of people's conversations was that the dead that were coming back to life were extremely dangerous and they only eat meat. They have to be hit or shot in the head or else they will still try and attack. So far as everyone knows, this is happening everywhere. The power has gone out everywhere so technology no longer exists. Atlanta is a failure and they just wanted to lure people to the city to bomb them and try and reduce the population as much as possible. My stomach was churning at all these words being spewed. This was it. This was the apocalypse. This was the ending of mankind. I just knew it.

The night sky was sparkling with the millions of stars. The little dipper and the big dipper were always easy to spot but the other constellations were so hard to find for me. But for the sake of my mind and sanity I tuned out everyone's words and paid attentions to the stars. The night sky always relaxed me and right now I needed that more than ever. I felt someone's gaze on me but I had no desire to see whose it was. It wasn't until a half hour or so that I felt Lori tug on my hand and Dale's words echo through my mind that I snapped back to reality.

"Kori was kind enough to let me know that whoever doesn't have sleeping arrangements can sleep in her tent with her." Dale smiled at me and I mustered a smile at him. Everyone around the camp looked around to each other and it was several seconds before Merle spoke up.

"Actually, the only place Daryl and I can sleep is, is in the truck and we all know how uncomfortable that is. You all have tents, but we don't. It would be so lovely if we could share with Kori." His words made my insides squirm and I put on the best-bored face I could muster up. Of course he would spew this shit out. I was so angry with him. I felt like I was the only one who had a bad encounter with Merle so far and yet I doubt his bad behavior will be hidden that much longer. I wanted to smack that smile off his face.

"You can sleep only on two conditions." I just looked at him void of emotion. Everyone looked back at me shocked. Of course they were clueless that Merle was a scumbag.

"Shoot, sweet thing." He smirked at me.

"First off, you have to quit calling me names, whether it's bitch or sweet thing. I won't tolerate it and your ass is in your truck if you do." I gave him a look a teacher would give a student if that student were given a warning. Everyone was gaping at both of us. I never let go of my gaze that was holding his. I was proving to him that I wasn't going to be pushed around.

"Fine. Second condition?" His eyebrows were raised.

"I sleep on one end of the tent and you sleep on the other and your brother Daryl is in between us." Whatever answer Merle had prepared for, it definitely wasn't that one. It was pretty plain on his face he was angry at the second term but had to play by the rules. Daryl, who hadn't been paying attention until now, snapped his head towards me and I could see his glare plain and clear over the flames.

"Take it or leave it." I just shrugged my shoulders and I heard Lori and Glenn snicker next to me.

"Fine but I ain't gonna sleep close to ya." Daryl's soft voice barely hit my ears over the crackling fire and all the men stared at him as if he had grown a second nose.

"What is he gay?" Glenn whispered to Amy. I smiled despite the fact that both Dixon brothers were glaring at me. We all resumed our conversations and some even went to set up their tents. After the awkward ending to the meeting, I let go of Lori's hand to go get my belongings by the RV. I picked up my stuff and headed up to set up my tent with the rest of the group. I set it up right next to Lori and Carl's tent. Once it was done I threw my things on the ground in a frustrated heap. I knew the waterworks were going to come so I hurriedly set up my sleeping bag on the left side. Grabbing my blanket and pillow I snaked into my sleeping bag and slid myself as far down it as possible facing the tent wall. I didn't want my face visible at all. Once my face was protected by the walls of the sleeping bag I let my tears loose. Everything that happened in the past day escaped through my silent cries. I curled into a ball and hugged my knees as hard as possible. My eyelids were starting to get really puffy and even though I stayed silent the entire time my throat was sore. I crawled back up to the top of the sleeping bag and laid my head down on the pillow. With eyes barely open, I listened in on the conversation.

"Ya betta make a move on that piece of ass tonight Darleena. I warn ya though that one's feisty." Merle's laughter shook the tent.

Silence. Daryl hadn't said anything I just knew it. I was no shrink but it was obvious that Merle was the dominant one in their relationship and Daryl lived in Merle's constant shadow. What an awful life to have that to look up to.

"Quit being such a pussy. Git in there and see what ya can do. I'll be out here managin the fire."

The tent flap opened and I tried to steady my breathing. I could hear Daryl laying his sleeping bag a few feet from mine. He slipped in it and just lay there. I was waiting for words but there were no words that came. After several minutes I tried to flip over as quietly as possible and looked at where Daryl lay. He had his hands behind his head and he was staring up at the tent wall until he heard me move. His steel blue eyes bored into mine and the bags under his eyes just proved how hard this was taking a toll on him. The sadness in his eyes was easy to see for a moment but hostility and the wall that he had built around himself replaced it. He went back to look up at the tent ceiling once more and I turned over again. It wasn't until a couple of moments later that I heard it. It was faint but I know what I heard. The words that escaped from Daryl's mouth.

"Sorry."


	3. Chapter 2

After a month of living at this camp I learned a lot of useful, blackmailing information. Lori and Shane were sleeping with each other and it seemed no one else had a clue. I was also the first one to notice that Ed, a piece-of-shit man, was beating his wife Carol and was probably sexually assaulting his daughter. Whether Carol knew about that or not, it was wrong in all different kinds of ways. I had approached Carol the day I found out about the abuse asking if she wanted me to do anything and she refused profusely and begged me not to tell anybody else. I was completely fine with that. Another interesting thing I learned was that Merle really was a scumbag. He was a lot worse than I had thought. He was incredibly racist and sexist. Not to mention he discriminated against certain religions. He was a real piece of work, that one. I also deduced that he was probably high most of the time, and it definitely wasn't soft drugs either. His brother Daryl was pretty quiet when Merle wasn't around and had a bit of a temper. He was a chameleon in the sense that he would fit his mood with his brother's and always agreed with him. My guess is that their father abused them both. Jim was a strange case and I didn't know what to make of him. He was a squirrely older man with black hair and had no family with him. Glenn was a sweet Korean kid and I felt bad because there was nobody there with him. However, him and I were alike in that way.

Working as a social worker it was really easy to see the patterns in people's families and how they were dysfunctional. Working in that field it was important to take in your surroundings and notice patterns of behavior. I was really glad I had become a social worker because my skills were coming in handy right now. It made me mad though that the women were stuck doing the household chores while the men "protected" us. The men weren't doing anything because there were no signs of walkers anywhere. Walkers were what we started calling the reanimated dead people. People like Carol and Morales's wife seemed completely fine doing laundry and cooking but Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, and I were all getting sick and tired of it. I felt like out of all the women in the camp, Andrea was the most like me. She was headstrong, opinionated, and yet pretty feminine.

I walk back up to the campsite from the lake and ask Dale if he wanted any help keeping an eye out for anything.

"No I don't really need any help but feel free to keep me company." He smiled at me and so I start to climb up the RV. Reaching the top, I lie down on my back and smile up at the sun greeting my face.

"Jeeze if I had known the world was coming to an end and I would have plenty of time to catch some rays I would have packed my tanning lotion." Dale starts laughing at me and I just shrug my shoulders and pull out my sweet aviators. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know Shane is there instead of Dale and the sun is getting low on the horizon. I slowly get up and Shane glares at me.

"Weren't you supposed to be doin laundry with the rest of 'em?"

"I finished mine and they were just about done anyways. Why do the women have to do the laundry while you men sit around all day doing nothing? How is that fair?" The sunglasses hid the anger in my eyes but the sneer in my tone definitely wasn't hidden.

"Look if y'all want to go ahead an risk yer lives everyday that's fine but it would be safer if ya just did the laundry."

"I want to protect this place too. Plus I want to see at least one of the men doing laundry. I know how to fire a gun and clean it and all that good stuff so you can't just write me out for that. Let me do this." Pleading with him might make this easier since he was head of the camp now.

Shane was turning my words over in his head and I could see him considering the pros and cons. He finally pulled his hand over his face and looked up at the cloudless blue sky while answering.

"Fine. I ain't gotta tell you twice though that if you mess up you goin back to laundry duty." He looked me sternly in the face again. I was doing a happy dance on the inside and beaming with glee.

"No sir! No mistakes with me I promise you." My internal beaming shone through cause Shane just grunted and told me to go rest before I had my shift at night watch.

I climbed down the ladder and hopped off at the last beam. I apparently had a spring in my step because I could feel Daryl's questioning glare follow me to our tent.

I set my alarm and crawled into my sleeping bag. Sleeping here was always the hardest thing to do for me. I could never fall asleep that easily and it felt like it took forever to drift off. I felt Daryl walk into the tent to grab something and then re-zip it as he left again. I don't know what it was about him but I felt like I had to keep an eye out for him. It wasn't a bad thing but I just felt the need to. As my head started thinking about nothing in particular I finally was able to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up with a startle when my alarm clock went off. That thing was too fricken noisy and always scared the crap out of me when I had to wake up for work. At least the damn thing will wake me from a coma if need be. I grabbed my rifle and headed out. Stumbling out of my tent, everyone was around the campfire except for Merle. Merle and I had been getting along better with each other and he left me alone for the most part. I am glad I was able to put him in his place when I did. I climbed back on top of the RV and told Merle that his shift was over.

"Whattya mean it's over? Who's next for the night shift?" He was so dumb sometimes.

"Me. I asked Shane and he said it was fine." Merle looked mad and he huffed and puffed and was going to blow a house down until he mentioned about finding Daryl to go hunt. I giggled to myself as he climbed down the ladder. I sat down in Dale's lawn chair and took his binoculars. I sat there for four hours without any sign of danger. I could see Daryl and Merle about to go for a hunt when Shane stopped them and asked if one of them would like to go on a supply run. Merle volunteered and Daryl wanted to go with but Merle told him to stay back because they needed him for hunting. Daryl started muttering some words, which I remained ignorant of. He stormed off into the forest and took his handy dandy crossbow with him. I patiently waited while Ed came to take the next shift. I could see Andrea, Morales, Merle, Glenn, T-Dog, and Jacqui all rounded up to go on the supply run. I was kind of jealous I wasn't able to go but I would rather hold down the fort here. They are taking a lot of our manpower so I'm more needed here than anything. At least that's what I convinced myself.

Amy was crying and holding Andrea until Andrea had to remove herself and run to the car. Morales kissed his wife and kids goodbye and once he turned his back, his wife held their kids and silently cried. No one knew what lied in Atlanta; all we knew was that it couldn't be pretty.

"Oh I see that lantern trimmed low burning in our home and though I feel like crying, I swear tonight I'll cry no more. And how many times have I prayed that I would get lost along the way? Dream with the feathers of angels stuffed beneath your head; the regulator's swinging pendulum. Come with me and walk the longest mile." I whisper sang this song to myself as I headed out to the lake. It was just an hour or so before it got light so I decided I would go skinny-dipping. The lake was beautiful but pretty damn clear, which only made me want to swim at night. I had wanted to do this ever since the first day of setting up camp here. I began stripping and threw all my clothes in a pile on the log that hovered over the water. I swam out to the middle of it and closed my eyes. I ducked my head under the water and waved my head back and forth and watched my dark red colored hair flow above my head. I began playing underneath the water's surface like a little kid. I would do flips and try and sit on the bottom of the lake. It was nice to remain ignorant of the nightmares in today's world only for just a moment. The air in my lungs had ran out so I was making my way to the surface again. I reemerged and instantly stilled. The bushes rustled and I kept only my eyes and nose were kept above the water. My heart was pounding in fear and I was slapping my forehead mentally at the stupidity of being alone at night. The rustling got louder and I quietly swam over to hide behind the log. I peaked my head over the log and looked to the area where the noise was coming from. Daryl emerged from the bush and was looking around over his crossbow.

"God damnit Daryl." I so pissed at him. "Quit being a peeping tom."

"What the fuck ya doin out here by yourself?" He snarled at me.

"Look I can handle myself thank you very much. Don't worry about me. I just wanted to take a midnight swim before anybody woke up to do laundry or something."

"Ya can't handle yourself. Yer pretty damn stupid to pull a stunt like this. What if someone came to take yer clothes?" He started muttering something about me being a crazy bitch.

"Look if you want to see me naked all you have to do is ask but don't be an asshole and take my clothes. I'm perfectly fine by myself." Daryl instantly turned his head at me when I mentioned he could see me naked and his face, I swore, had more pink than normal.

"Quit being a ho and git outta there. Ya don't know what's wandering around here at night."

"Kiss my shiny metal ass." I muttered under my breath. I really missed television. "God, I'm not a slut. A slut means I get paid money for sleeping with men. Unless that's what you're offering, get off my back with the name-calling. Do you want to see me naked or not because I can't get out of this lake magically clothed." I just gave him a pointed look. He sighed and turned away and I frowned at his back. Why isn't he interested? Jeeze, I even told him it would be fine if he could see me naked. Emotionally, I wasn't ready for anything with any man but physically I was desperately craving a man's touch. I didn't need feelings, just passion. I'm not egotistical or anything but I swear, every guy I have met, has always wanted to see me naked. What guy turns down the chance to see a naked woman with no strings attached?

I stepped out of the lake and put on the sexiest pair of underwear I had and my best bra. I have no idea why I wore them today but I'm sure glad I did because next thing I know a walker is coming straight for me and I grab the nearest rock and throw it at his forehead. Once he was knocked down, I kneeled down next to it and took the rock again and started bashing his head in until it wasn't even recognizable. This was the very first walker I got and I just released all my anger on it. Every hit I remembered the look on Jace's face and how he died in my arms. They were the reason. After about twenty strikes to the head I'm being pulled off it and I am seething with anger. I writhe in Daryl's arms and the anger is vibrating through my entire body. The anger was also clearly visible within my eyes and face because Daryl took several steps back from me and held up his hands. Well he gets to see me pretty much naked now, whether he likes it or not.

"Told you I can take care of myself. Screw off Daryl I'm going in for another dip. I need to get the blood off me." Without giving him a chance to say anything I just started stripping and I slipped back into the water. There, now he really gets a show. I dipped my head under the water and scrubbed my face at the tears that didn't have a chance to form. I made sure to scrub the blood on me and get it all off. Lord knows I don't want to go to bed with walker blood on me. Daryl must have stayed close by but averted his eyes as well because once I was finished washing and putting on my clothes, he came out of the woodwork and silently escorted me to the tent. I angrily flipped the tent flap open and jerked open my sleeping bag. He came inside the tent as well and zipped it back up. Once he was inside his sleeping bag I decided I had calmed enough to have a rational conversation with him.

"I thought you were hunting." The mumbled words were barely audible through my pillow.

"I'm goin at first light. Too dark." His voice carried through the tent. I turn around and point my finger at him.

"I'm not yours to protect, got it? I'm no one's to protect. I may be a woman but I am damn sure capable of taking care of myself. I know how to deal with walkers and I sure as hell know how to deal with anyone who gets in my way." I think if I were to have shouted the words at him it wouldn't have sounded as hostile as when I whispered them. So much for a rational discussion. I glared at him and he just stared at me bored.

"Quit bein a bitch."

I turn around and face the tent wall and mutter about him being an asshole and a white knight. I could hear him face me and I looked over my shoulder and our eyes met. Both of us were so pissed off at each other and we were both being unreasonable. I either wanted to smack that damn look off his face or kiss it off. I definitely couldn't decide which one I would pick. He was sexy as hell in his own way but he pissed me off to no extent. At some points I wish it were Merle in between us. At least I was immune to Merle.

We both stared each other down for minutes until he angrily flipped over in his sleeping bag facing the other wall. I sighed and flipped over to my wall. A normal person probably would have been replaying the walker attack but there was only one question running through my mind: Why the hell did Daryl Dixon not want to see me naked?


	4. Chapter 3

I woke up all foggy and disoriented. I open my eyes and look to Daryl's sleeping bag instantly. The memories of last night came flooding back to my mind and I groaned. Daryl had seen me slaughter a walker and in my best underwear too. I don't know if I should be proud of that moment or not. I get out of my tent and no one is around. Going down to the lake I see Carol doing some laundry by herself. I trotted down the hill to help her.

"How are you doing Carol?" I try to sound as polite as possible.

"I'm doing fine. What about yourself?" She tried her best to smile at me.

"Oh you know just peachy. Went for a skinny dip session last night," Her eyes turned big when she looked at me, "And I killed a walker with a rock while I was in my sexy lingerie. Oh not to mention Daryl saw the whole thing." The words that came out of my mouth flowed before I could even stop them. Oh well, too late now.

"My, my, sexy underwear you say? Why do you have sexy underwear?" She looked at me curiously.

"I figured I'm most confident in them so in dangerous situations I should wear them to boost my confidence in myself. Either that or I needed them for the very off chance I could get laid." She tilted her head back and started laughing.

"Hmmmm. I definitely did not pack any. That's pretty smart of you. Pretty little thing like yourself could have sex if you wanted to. What did Daryl say about all of it?"

"Not much to be honest." I just left it at that. I may not know what to think of him just yet but I wasn't about to make him into some sort of weirdo.

"That's strange. Who knows, he just might be the one to stick it to ya." She finished her thoughts with that gem and went back to tending to her clothes. There weren't many more clothes to wash but I took the last of them to ease her burden. My mind churned over her words. No way would Daryl ever do anything like that. I sure would but I know he wouldn't. I just snickered on the inside. Something about Daryl told me he had no luck with women. But at the same time he was pretty rough around the edges and good-looking as well, which doesn't exactly scream lady repellant. My guess was that from the way he acted, he didn't know how to have someone care for him so he never tried anything with women. That was too hard of a non-traveled path to go down.

As I finished the clothes, I went hunting for Dale. Ever since Andrea was gone and I couldn't find Lori I decided it was best to go hunt for the wise man. I found him climbing down the RV as Ed was taking watch.

"Want to take a walk with me?" I asked him with pleading eyes.

"Sure, let me go get my gun." He beamed at me and headed inside his camper. He came back out and we were headed on our way through the woods.

"So what's on your mind?"

"You're too wise. What do you think is Daryl's story?" I wanted a second opinion on this one.

"I'm not quite sure, he's not vocal about his past. Why do you ask?"

"I just have a theory that's all."

"What theory is that?" I knew I had his full attention.

"Well Daryl isn't exactly screaming for attention like Merle correct?" I looked at him expecting him to agree. He just nodded and said a drawn out yes.

"Well my theory is that Merle and Daryl lived in an abusive home with just a dad. I think that with Merle being the oldest, Daryl was pushed around and picked on by Merle. But since their dad was abusing both of them, Merle was the only figure that Daryl could look up to. That's why he's always in the same mood as Merle and he always agrees with him when Merle says dumb things." Dale took all this information in and started nodding his head.

"Ya know that makes a lot of sense actually. Daryl is always the quiet one until Merle is brought into the conversation. Daryl is still sort of hesitant on meshing with the group because he still views it as us vs. him and Merle. How did you figure this out?" He was definitely impressed.

"I was a social worker, so I know the signs of a broken house when I see one and not to mention the effect it has on the children." I just shrugged my shoulders. I actually missed working with the kids on my caseload. I hope they were okay. Dale seemed to be mulling all this brand new information over in his mind. His hand suddenly reached out to mine and made me stop. I looked at him questioningly and he motioned for me to be quiet. Suddenly I heard moaning coming from a few hundred yards and I began to stifle a laugh. Dale pulled out his binoculars to find out where the noise was coming from. I didn't think that was a good idea but the old man had to learn the hard way. Once he found the source he instantly put them down and looked up at me with wide eyes. I motioned for him to come follow me so we could get away safely to talk.

"What the hell was that? Lori and Shane?" I began to laugh and just shrugged my shoulders.

"I knew about it two weeks ago but decided it wasn't my business to share with anyone. I figured someone else would find out sooner or later. Too bad you actually had to see it."

"How did you find out?"

"It wasn't that hard. Shane and Lori were talking in the woods one-day when I was up in a tree and I overheard them. They talk pretty dirty to each other." I stuck out my tongue and made a face as if I put a lemon in my mouth.

"Why were you in a tree?" I probably sound so random at times.

"I've been trying to practice tree climbing in case there's ever a situation that calls for it. I'm getting better at scaling the trees faster but let me tell you it is not without some wounds." I held up my bruised arms and showed him my scratched up legs.

"Wow. You are truly preparing aren't you?"

"Heck yes I am. Why wouldn't I be? I already know how to take care of my guns and shoot them, I know how to use a sword, I know how to affectively take down a man or two with my bare hands, and I know how to survive on my own. The only thing I haven't mastered is how to climb a tree." Dale put his arm around me as we started heading back to camp.

"You're just so versatile aren't you?" I smiled at him and we walked back to camp together. I just gave him a face-splitting grin.

We reach camp again and I notice Amy crying and demanding to know where her sister is. She keeps saying that the group should have been back by now. I plopped down on the log around the fire and just take in the scene as it played out. As soon as Amy was almost done with her hysterics, a car was speeding down the hill with its alarm going off. Dale was looking through his binoculars and mentioned it being a stolen car. Suddenly the car is pulling into our campsite and I cringe because the alarm is way too loud. Especially when we're trying to be discreet and not attract attention to ourselves. Glen hops out with a huge grin on his face and different people are bombarding the poor lad. Shane is grilling him on turning off the alarm and Amy won't stop crying about Andrea. Glen lets her know that they are coming back and they were fine. Soon enough, a white moving van pulls up behind Glen's beauty of a car and they all hop out. I notice that Merle is missing from the group and I am really interested into seeing how Daryl was going to react.

Lori pulls Carl aside to talk to him about his father and they're crying, but soon enough another person, a cop, steps out of the vehicle. He is staring at Shane until his attention is dragged towards Carl. The look on this new guy's face is priceless and it gave me goose bumps watching what happened next. The cop, I'm assuming it was Carl's dad, runs towards him and they cling to each other and fall down on the ground together. Lori is standing there shocked and she can't move a muscle until Carl and Carl's dad go to Lori and they do a big family embrace. I am stunned and awed at what just happened. I thought he was dead? Shane just stares at the situation and then the look on his face just reminded me that he had been banging his buddy's wife and played pretend dad to Carl. The next few months should prove interesting. I look over at Dale with my mouth formed in an "O" and he just staring back at me wide eyed. I'm pretty sure we were the only ones that knew about Rick and Lori but then again who knows?

….

We're all snuggled around the campfire and I can't help but feel relieved that the only person we lost was Merle. That's an awful thing to think but Andrea was right when they said that Merle was a danger to the group. He really was and definitely didn't play nice with the others. I just felt sad for Daryl. I was nervous to see his reaction.

…

The following day I was chatting it up with Andrea about her job when all of a sudden screams were heard all throughout our camp. We all start running towards Carl and Sophia and see a dead walker chewing on a deer. My lips were in a snarl as my hatred for all the walkers came back like lightning. The men went to go and kill it and finally it was decapitated. I swear we had to kill it in its brain but I wasn't going to speak up because I wasn't one hundred percent sure. Another rustle came from the bushes and all the men reacted quickly. Daryl came out and was fuming. The walker had been gnawing on the deer he had been tracking. He wanted to chop off the chewed part and used the rest but that didn't settle well with any of us. He started cussing and kicking the dead walker and the head of the walker started to reanimate and Daryl said something about it killing it in its brain. I thought so. Daryl used his crossbow and shot it in the eye and walked off. Then he started shouting at Merle and talking about skinning them. Uh oh here we go.

Daryl was so upset, sad, and angry when Rick, the cop, told him that Merle wasn't coming back. He actually started crying, which I should have expected but didn't. He actually threw all of his squirrels on a string at Rick. Rick and Shane eventually had to neutralize Daryl and I was mad because they were getting mad at Daryl. I'm pretty sure Daryl was being rational in his anger, I mean after all they did handcuff his brother to a roof and left him stranded there. He's probably going bonkers up there by himself.

I didn't expect Rick to tell everyone that he was going back to Atlanta to retrieve his guns and Merle. I sure as hell wouldn't have volunteered that option. But I wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity for some action so when Rick asked for volunteers my hand shot straight up and Rick told me I could go. I grabbed my handgun and sword and headed into the white van next to Daryl and Glenn. Words can't express how excited and nervous I am to go into Atlanta.


	5. Chapter 4

The road to Atlanta, Georgia was long and tedious. We had been driving slow so we don't attract that much attention, which makes our time window that much smaller. We had been debating whether or not to get Merle or the guns first and Daryl was pissed it was even a debate. He needed to get his head in the game and if he was to keep acting like that he could jeopardize the whole mission. I gave him a steady look and he just puffed his chest and marched onwards.

Running hurriedly to the building where Merle was we crept inside and saw a woman walker. Daryl whispered about her being an ugly skank. I wanted to smack him. Of course she was ugly she was dead. What on earth was going on with Daryl and women? Once Daryl shot her with his crossbow we ran up the stairs and ran onto the roof. The scene was nauseating. A saw was lying right next to pipe and handcuffs and a hand was lying right by it. I bent over in case I had to vomit. Because it sure as hell felt like vomit was trying to make it's way up my throat. Daryl was hysterical at first but then calmed immediately. It was the weirdest thing. There was still some hope that Merle was alive out there because there wasn't much blood and there were dead walkers where he exited. I put a hand on Daryl's shoulder and he just shrugged it off. While we were keeping an eye out for Merle, we hatched a plan to get Rick's guns back. T-Dog and Rick were going two blocks down, Glenn was going to run and retrieve the guns, and Daryl and I were going to stay in the alley to try and protect Glenn from behind. We all moved to our locations and my sense of awareness has never been higher.

Glenn booked it down the street and we noticed the walkers that were following him from behind. From the looks of it Glenn was going to have to meet where Rick and T-Dog were. All of a sudden a young Hispanic man came out from behind Daryl and I and tried to attack me. He put his arm around my neck and had a knife at my throat. I leaned forward while putting the knife further into my neck and bit into his arm so he could release me. He started swearing and eased his grip. I took his arm and used all my strength to flip him over my shoulder and I told Daryl to look after him. I ran forward to go let Glenn in and a car pulled up. They tried to take the gun but I punched some of them and was able to fling the bag of guns Darly's way. They started pulling Glenn in the car and I tried to fight them while attempting to grab the sword on my back but I was too slow because next thing I know I am being pulled into the car that Glenn was pulled into.

Glenn and I are being pulled into separate rooms and they start interrogating us. They didn't bother to hit me or hurt me because apparently I was giving satisfying answers.

"What the hell are you guys doing in my city?" A Latino man named Guillermo asked me.

"I'm pretty sure, the last time I checked, Atlanta was everyone's city." I said bored.

"Fine, what were you doing in Atlanta." He sneered.

"We were there to retrieve a man our group had lost and we went back to get the bag of guns Rick lost two days ago." I just shrugged. "Look if you have a beef, you really shouldn't. Rick and those guys aren't going to hurt anyone. Hell, I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to get back to camp unscathed. Does that sound okay with you?" I just looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Fine. How good are you with old people?" The question totally took me by surprise.

"Pretty good actually. I used to work as a social worker in an old folk's home. Why?" He just nodded his head and untied me. He led me through a hallway and there were old people everywhere.

"What's going on here?" I stopped him and made him look at me.

"When everything went down, no one stuck around to help these people. Since my friend and me worked here we decided to help protect them from the dangers of the outside. Can you help us while we figure out the situation with your group?"

"Fine." I walked out into the common room and started helping the elders. Glenn arrived about twenty minutes later and looked at me asking with his facial expressions what the hell was going on. I just shrugged my shoulders as we both went to work again. Guillermo took me by the arms and told me he had to show me off.

"What?" He just tied a rag over my mouth and another man led me through a hallway and up the stairs. A doorway opened and I was shoved onto a roof. Two guys took me by the elbows and I looked over the building. I was forced onto the very edge and my stomach lurched. I did not want to be shoved off this building, at all. Rick and Daryl must have seen the fear in my eyes because they became pretty pissed off and left with their hostage. I looked to where their eyes were looking and I saw T-Dogg lying on the roof.

…..

After what felt like hours the group finally came into the nursing home and from the looks of it the group had no idea what was going on. T-Dog walked right up to me.

"Daryl said you had some crazy fightin moves back there. Wanna tell me what you're all about?"

"Well I taught a self defense class at a local college and I do kickboxing sometimes."

"Wow. Sounds like you might be able to kick my ass."

"Don't give me a reason to try.' I just elbowed him and he started deep-belly laughing. As Rick came back from talking with Guillermo, we decided to head out but not before Rick gave away a few of our guns to them. It seemed to me Rick was a standup guy and had pretty good morals and virtues. I was glad he was emerging into the leadership role and not Shane. I liked Shane but I didn't want him leading our group. As we left, I felt pretty sad that those old people were just sort of stranded there. What else could they do though? The world was a cruel place and the fact of the matter was they could be such easy bait for the walkers.

We were all pretty quiet because of the events that happened today. Merle wasn't found and we all got to see the living conditions of the elderly back there. Walking along the railroad tracks we all stopped dead. Where the hell was the car? Everyone was swearing and Rick told us just to jog to camp. Jog? Ugh I was going to die, my cardio definitely could have been better but no way was I going to let these guys see me as a wimp. Might as well be enlisted in a half marathon right now. Oh well, we couldn't risk walking because the camp needs more firepower just in case something happens.

After several hours later of wheezing and aching legs, we arrive to the campsite with everyone screaming. My stomach just dropped. People were lying on the ground and walkers were everywhere. I immediately took out my sword and started attacking the walking dead. There were walkers everywhere and I was already winded from the trip up here but I was in no mood to give up now. I had to keep fighting and I had to keep letting my anger fuel me. I couldn't afford to be scared.

I probably had taken about six walkers down when I found one coming up from behind me. I took my sword and put it over my shoulder and stuck my weapon through the skull. There was a sick crunch. I turned back around and saw that I killed two walkers. Just as I turned my head around I saw a walker coming at me and I tried to ready my sword but was too slow and it was too close but then it just dropped dead on the ground. An arrow was stuck in the back of the head and I just looked at Daryl wide-eyed. He walked up to me and bent down to pick up his arrow. He nodded at me and went on his merry way.

After I had finished killing the last two walkers that had made their way up to our camp I took in the cemetery that now surrounded us. Andrea was huddled over a dead body and I couldn't bear to look at who it was. I already knew. It was Amy. Tears silently rolled down my cheek and I slid onto my knees in the middle of the grass. Amy was one of the first people I met after the world ended and I had become pretty close with her. The sadness hung in my throat and I wanted nothing more than to escape. I didn't want to lose anymore of our group. My hair curtained around my face, preventing anyone to see my tears. Losing Jace was the hardest thing I have had to do but something tells me I am going to get a run for my money here pretty soon.


	6. Chapter 5

Bodies were everywhere and the smell of death filled my nose. Sweat was dripping down my back from moving all the dead bodes, walkers and our own. My entire body was aching from the ten-mile jog from Atlanta yesterday and now the shoveling was just making my muscles scream harder. Halfway through all the heavy lifting Jacqui starts screaming about Jim getting bit by a walker. The whole camp became riled up and started treating him like he had the plague, which he pretty much did. I am so pissed at Jim for not even saying anything and putting all of us at risk. But one look around the camp tells me everyone feels the same way I do. Every time I got the chance to look at him I would send dirty glares his way. I wasn't about to be attacked behind my back. I was with Daryl on this. We should get rid of Jim because he is a risk to our group. Whether we leave him behind or kill him ourselves, something needed to be done. I was kind of mad that Rick wanted to keep Jim safe in the RV.

Glenn started breaking down when the bodies of our people weren't being put in the bury pile but instead we're being put in the burn pile. I felt bad for him because I understood where he was coming from. However, if I were to be dead, I definitely wouldn't want to be buried. I don't want anything gnawing on me after I'm gone, Walkers or any other critters. Rick pulls me out of my deep thoughts about my death to say something about going to the CDC. Personally, I don't think it's a great idea because I feel like they haven't even come close to finding a cure. Who knows though? Maybe the building of the CDC is big and very well protected. I sure as hell hope so. It's only a matter of time before I start going crazy over the lack of no sleep. Maybe this place could give me some.

As the group sets out to leave Glenn decides to ride down there with me. I'm excited because I love Glenn as a person and he has such an easy-going personality. We turned on my Linkin Park cd and we started singing along. Even though it probably wasn't safe to have it on, we didn't care. It was the first moment since the world went to shit that I didn't care about anything in particular. I sang my little heart and I was glad to know that Glenn didn't leave me hanging.

The RV pulled over and so the rest of the cars did the same. Rick steps out and lets us know that Jim is dying and he wishes to be left behind. It took our group about a half hour to decide what to do with Jim and Lori was the one to hit the point home that no one could decide for Jim. If Jim wanted to stay behind and not want a gun, that was his decision and no one else's. They moved Jim outside underneath a tree and we all said our goodbyes to him. Carol kissed him on his cheek. I just patted him on the back and gave him a sad smile. Daryl just half-smiled at him. Glenn and I return to the car in a defeated manner. We spend the rest of the drive in silence over Jim's impending doom. However, my mind keeps flickering back to the night of my engagement and birthday. Chances were, Jace was a walker now and that thought made my stomach clench.

We pull up to the CDC and there are dead people littering this parking lot. There are also several tanks and military armored cars. The military set up a makeshift wall with barbed wire on top, probably to keep the walkers out. We sneak our cars to the street as close as we can and quietly run to the CDC. The giant garage-like doors are all sealed to the ground. All the air in my chest is pushed out as if by some unseen force. I can't believe we drove all the way over here for nothing. Of course the fricken doors are closed. We start pounding on them but nothing is happening. They aren't budging and show no sign of doing so. We all start freaking out because the walkers are beginning to animate and there is nowhere for us to go since we are surrounded. Not to mention the sun is almost down and the nighttime gets pretty scary and hard to defend yourself in. Rick starts losing his mind because he swears the cameras are moving. I'm taking out walkers with my sword left and right but this is a huge group and I'm seconds away from booking it over to my car and a glance around the group tells me they are ready to do the same. Rick keeps screaming at the camera telling it that we are all going to die because whoever inside is too heartless to help us. Jeeze Rick, way to uplift my spirits. I'm sure a mortician could get me in a better mood.

All of a sudden a bright light appears and the doors open up. We all scramble inside with the doors closing behind us to see a tall blonde man with a gun in his hand. It's kind of sad that in today's society, it's normal to have a gun and aim it at anyone and everyone. We all point our weapons at him just in case he tries something stupid. I can only assume that he worked there. He was pretty hesitant on letting us in and he said the admission price was blood work from each of us. That was completely fine by me. By the looks of this place, it looks safe, secure, and an oasis compared to what we've been used to. He told us to get our gear and bring it inside because he didn't want people going in and out repeatedly to get their stuff. By the sounds of it we were spending the nights here and occupying this area for as long as we could and this man was going to let us.

We all sprint out to the cars and grab our gear and run back to the building. T-Dog and Dale shut the doors and then the garage doors came down once more. Rick introduces himself and I can hear the man call himself Dr. Jenner. Maybe Rick was right, maybe there is still a chance we could beat this thing. As he's leading us through this place Carol asks him if this place is underground. I had never even thought of that, I'm too busy paying attention to how I could get lost in this place. Dr. Jenner states that it is and not to pay attention to that fact since she was claustrophobic a little. He steps into a giant dark room and tells "Vy" to turn on the lights. I'm the only one to hesitantly step into there because it was pretty creepy. For all we knew he was leading us to the slaughterhouse. He could be a cannibal. We had no idea who this man was, which was a shame, because a couple months ago it would have been fine to interact with a man I didn't know. However things change, and the world I knew has to be erased from my mind.

The lights all around the room come on and for a second I have to squint, it's so bright. I haven't been around lights like this in so long. There are computers and desks in a giant circle and there is a big screen at the front of the room. My heart breaks for the millionth time when Dr. Jenner states that he is the only one left at the CDC. So much for finding a cure. I numbly follow the group to a room to get our blood drawn like we promised. Andrea goes first and almost falls because she is so lightheaded. Jacqui catches her and soothes the doctor's worries by letting him know that we all hadn't eaten in so long. He is honestly taken aback by that fact. I want to punch this man in the face because he doesn't know the struggles we've been through. He hasn't lived like we have and it pisses me off to no extent that he was living so well. All that anger was gone however when he was willing to share his food and alcohol with us. I wasn't as excited at the fact that he had alcohol because I had managed to stash some whiskey in the back of my car. I drank only on the nights when the haunting memories of my past would creep up and the burning of the alcohol would make me instantly forget it. Running to drugs should never be the answer to anything but it sure made it a lot easier to cope with reality.

We're all laughing at the dinner table and it feels amazing, everyone has a smile on their face. Even Daryl, who just lost his brother, was smiling and laughing with the rest of us. For once the apocalypse wasn't riding on our backs. As we kept eating our little hearts out, the alcohol was getting drained as well. Someone kept filling up my cup and after three glasses of wine I was gone. Dinner was over and everyone was retreating to his or her little corners. I was walking down the hallway and I swear, SWEAR,the walls were moving. I eventually just gave up on walking and sat down in the middle of the hallway. Glenn was walking towards me and apparently was having the same problem as I was because he had his hands up as if to grab them on both sides. I am giggling like no other and fall to my side in my fit of laughter. He scowls at me while he retreats in the direction he came from. I'm still lying on the floor when Shane walks by. I grab Shane's pant leg as he is walking by and he just looks down at me questioningly.

"Can I give you a proposition?" I have the biggest grin on my face.

"What?" He's obviously skeptical and not very happy at me being attached to his pants still.

"I need to have sex. You probably wanna have sex. I say let's get down and dirty for one night and have no regrets tomorrow morning, except the amount of alcohol we drank." I'm trying to keep a serious face on because I want him to think I am somewhat coherent for this conversation.

"Seriously? Are you outta ya damn mind?" He looks kinda mad.

"Please! Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours! I know you miss it! I miss sex! It's no big deal and I won't make it a big deal, I promise. Just rough, nasty, sweaty, drunk, fun sex." The last slurred words barely escaped my mouth as Shane picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder and we headed to his room. Unfortunately for me, Daryl passed by and I played this off like it was no big deal. We passed each other and Daryl was walking backwards and looking at me weird. I just grinned at him and gave him a salute as we entered the room.

As soon as the door closed, clothes were torn, lips were mashed and our bodies meshed. Through the drunken haze I couldn't say whether it was great or not but it was a much needed release. After it was all said and done we passed out on the couch together, entwined.


End file.
